Helping Children and Parents Through Anxiety and Overwhelm
Who is Jennifer Cohen Harper:
Jennifer Cohen Harper, MA, E-RYT, RCYT, is a mindfulness and yoga educator, author, public speaker, and mother, who works to support children in the development of strong inner resources.
She is the author of the popular Thank You Children’s Series: Books for Building Gratitude, Self Compassion, and Personal Power, as well as the creator of numerous yoga and mindfulness-based card decks, activity books, and other resources for children and families.
Jennifer founded Little Flower Yoga and Mindfulness in 2006. As the Founder and CEO, Jennifer brings embodied mindfulness programming and education to schools and community organizations nationwide, serving students, families, educators, and mental health care providers.
What we discussed:
-How Jennifer became interested in finding joy even as a child.
-When Jennifer started to see an uptick in anxiety in children and researching ways to help.
-How a child's behavior can give the adults clues as to what is going on internally.
-Anxiety is an emotion like all the others. It's a message to us and doesn't have to be viewed as bad.
-Lean into the anxiety to see what the message may be.
-How can adults reduce stimulation and increase connection in children experiencing overwhelm and anxiety?
-The idea of trigger stacking.
-Back-to-back breathing you can do with your child or loved one.
-How movement practices rooted in awareness are so beneficial to healing.
-Understanding that we are not broken or need to be fixed when we feel anxiety.
-Understanding that trying to stop a child from fully expressing their feelings when upset isn't helping them figure out what they are moving through emotionally.
-Children don't want to feel alone by nature. If the adults in their lives are distracted they feel disconnected to their caregivers and eventually themselves.
-Making sure we are doing true active listening when talking to children. They can tell when adults are half-engaged.
Ways to find Jennifer:
Instagram: @jennifercohenharper
Website: jennifercohenharper.org
Other ways to follow me:
Instagram: wellness_matters_tribe
Facebook: wellness matters
Website: wellnessmatterstribe.com
My book: The Missing Piece
